There has been plenty of fallout from the Sea Eagles’ 8-0 defeat of the Roosters on Friday night.

The losing coach immediately jumped onto the front foot regarding the refereeing performance. Roosters coach Trent Robinson rarely speaks out in this manner, so his reaction has definitely fired up the fans.

Many see the 11-2 penalty count in favour of Manly as the decisive statistic from this game. Robinson was not so much critical of the 11 penalties blown against his team. He is more questioning the fact his Roosters received only two penalties in the 80 minutes of play.

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He has a strong argument. Missed penalties may have denied the Roosters a couple more opportunities to get into attacking positions. In a game as close as this one, that could have made the difference to their winning chances.

I do think the Roosters contributed a lot more to their own demise than the referees may have. But that’s not to say they wouldn’t have snatched a victory if given a few of the penalties they deserved.

My view on the result is that Manly was the better team on the night and deserved the win. There was nothing in this contest. Both sides made errors, but those by the Roosters were much more crucial.

Both defences were outstanding. Defence dominated the game. The difference is that Manly did most of their defence at the Roosters’ end of the field thanks to better go-forward, control and kicking. The Sea Eagles conceded four 20 metre tap kicks to the Roosters but also forced them into five line drop-out situations.

The Roosters enjoyed very little attacking time at Manly’s end of the field. They conceded two 20 metre tap kicks but were not able to force any line drop-out restarts on the Manly side.

Both these sides are super-competitive and they really test the referees to the limit. They played a 4-0 semi-final last year and now an 8-0 grind on Friday night. You don’t get scorelines like that unless both teams push the boundaries when it comes to slowing the play-the-ball and getting up inside the 10 metres to put pressure on their opponents.

There was only one penalty for inside the 10m on Friday night. That was against Manly. The referee could have penalised both sides on numerous occasions if they wanted to be super vigilant, however it was pretty much the same for both sides.

I reviewed all the major incidents of this match.

The first penalty went to the Roosters at the 3.37 mark for a high tackle by Glenn Stewart. Personally, I thought there was nothing in it and the penalty was a harsh call.

5.14: Rooster Frank-Paul Nu’uausala penalised for a high shot. There was nothing in this one either, but if the Stewart tackle was a penalty moments earlier, this one had to be penalised as well.

6.56: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck plays the ball incorrectly. Not called by referees.

7.14: Manly’s Brenton Lawrence could be penalised for slowing tactics with a hand on the ball. Not called by referees. 10.58: Rooster Michael Jennings penalised for hand-on-ball. It’s a marginal call. I’m happy to go with the referee on this one but it does mean the Lawrence one minutes earlier was probably worth a penalty.

14.27: Manly’s Daly Cherry-Evans drops the ball. It is ruled to have gone backwards but again we see 99 per cent of these called knock-ons. The players stopped expecting a ruling.

18.29: Video referee penalises Jared Waerea-Hargreaves for a high shot on Glenn Stewart. It’s the video referee’s call, not the on-field referees.

24.26: Rooster Sam Moa penalised for not being square at marker. Hmmm. Not much in it but I’ve seen this called before, so fair enough.

28.24: Manly penalised inside the 10m. Fair penalty.

31.14: Rooster Anthony Minichiello penalised for a lazy high shot on Manly’s Peta Hiku. Referee had no other option.

50.34: Mitchell Pearce on the attack is hit across the face with a lazy shot from a Manly player. Roosters lose possession after Pearce passes as Manly race away. I’ve seen those penalised before but happy to play on.

51.50: Rooster Shaun Kenny-Dowall could have easily been penalised for blocking a Manly kick chaser. No penalty given. We will talk more on this subject another time.

The next 28 minutes gets very frustrating for the Roosters and their fans. The team is not playing well. They are behind 6-0 on the scoreboard. They can’t seem to get a crack at the Manly end of the field. Time is starting to whittle away and becomes a real factor.

Any 50-50 calls that go against a team under these circumstances are magnified tenfold and can really get the blood boiling. In several of these instances, I can understand the Roosters’ frustration.

52.50: Manly could have easily been penalised for a block on Roosters chaser Daniel Tupou. The penalty wasn’t awarded.

53.50: Frank-Paul Nu’uausala penalised for dislodging the ball from Anthony Watmough after the referee called held. It was a fair penalty but Watmough milked it nicely. It’s all part of the game.

54.25: Rooster Boyd Cordner is penalised for attacking the lower legs of a man held in possession when the third man into the tackle. I think this is a fair penalty. It’s exactly what the new rule states. The problem here is that if this was a penalty at this stage of the game, then there could have been another dozen of these penalties awarded throughout the match. And, I have to say, the vast majority of them would’ve been against the Roosters.

61.50: Rooster Jake Friend runs from dummy-half catching the marker not square. Play almost halts because it seems like a simple penalty. It’s certainly more obvious than the one Sam Moa was penalised for earlier in the match. No penalty is given. If Moa was a penalty, this is definitely a penalty.

62.26: Daniel Tupou is again blocked when chasing a high kick. Should’ve been a penalty.

71.23: Rooster Mitchell Pearce is hit high and late after kicking the ball. It’s an obvious penalty by today’s standards but the penalty is not given. This incident doesn’t actually cost the Roosters because Manly fullback Peta Hiku drops the ball into touch and the Roosters get the scrum feed. However, I can see no excuse for a penalty not being awarded.

72.48: Video referee rules no try, agreeing with the on-field referee that Mitchell Pearce has run behind his own man and gained an advantage. I agree with the decision. The Roosters mistimed their play and got it wrong.

80th minute: Rooster James Maloney penalised for offside and Manly close out the game with a simple penalty goal to win 8-0.

The final 28 minutes was obviously very frustrating for the home fans because they genuinely believed the world was against them. I can understand their frustration. Nothing really went right for them in this period.

Going forward, though, I think it’s important the Roosters don’t walk away from this one simply blaming the referees for their loss. They really have to look at their discipline and the number of penalties they concede each week. They get away with it most of the time because their defence is so good. But if Friday night was a grand final, they get no second chance.

Some of their play was very sloppy.

A number of Roosters players dropped the ball when being tackled thanks to a loose grip on the ball. I know the pitch was a little damp, but this is all the more reason for attention to detail.

James Maloney and Shaun Kenny-Dowall dropped balls with little pressure on them. We saw wayward passes from the dummy halves, Jake Friend and Daniel Mortimer, roll aimlessly across the ground after missing their targets.

Then there are those no-look passes and forward passes at crucial times that lead to a loss of opportunity and possession.

I think the Roosters are clearly the best team in this competition. The frustration that comes from a few of these early season losses could well steel them for greater improvement as the season progresses.

I have no doubt they got a few rough calls on Friday night too.

However, the final score was more a reflection on what the Roosters did wrong and what Manly did right, rather than any influence the referee or video referee had on the play.

I think the Roosters should feel disappointed. I don’t think the referees will be entirely happy with their night’s work.

I think Manly fans should be extremely proud of their team and the tremendous grit shown by their players.

The Manly boys won this game with good control, tough attitude and tough defence. They deserved their victory.

38 comments so far

Gus thankyou - finally someone looking at the whole game and calling it accurately. Trent R maybe your frustration wasn't just with the officials, but your own players also.

Commenter

Finally

Date and time

March 30, 2014, 12:03AM

A bit rich. Last year Roosters conceded an average of 8 penalties a game. Guess what? They won the GF penalty count 5-2. As a Manly fan I feel a little insulted now, listening to their whining. They are last year's champions only because of poor refereeing.

1. Mitchell Pearce – knock on 3rd minute. Should have been Possession 15 meters out2. Mitchell Pearce with hand in play the ball of Keiran Foran after Manly try. Should have been a penalty3. 27th Penalty Jamie Buhrer raked out. Dropped ball Luke O’Donnell. Should have been Manly ball 15 meters out in attacking position.4. 31st Minute – headbut on Justin Horo. Should have been penalty to Manly. Hand in the play the ball penalty. JWH dropped it cold. At what point was there a hand in there. Cost manly 2 points at 6-6. Shayne Hayne. Too long in the tackle. 3 seconds5. 39th minute – Came off Jennings should have been Manly feed. Jamie Lyon should have had ball.6. 43rd Aubusson tackled Lyon without the ball. Should have been penalty with sinbin, Lyon was taken out.7. 51st Cherry Evans kick and late tackle by Jake Friend should have been a penalty.8. 57th minute JWH on Tom Symonds. Penalty9. 61st Moloney’s pass to Mini was forward. Should have been no try.10. 69th Friend came in high on DCE when already tackled. Dirty11. 70th Lyon was taken out by Jennings.

Most appalling refereeing in a GF since 1985.

Commenter

Niall

Location

Darwin

Date and time

March 30, 2014, 8:19AM

will I go through the game minute by minute from the roosters side a see how many penalties they should have got in the grand final the count was only 5/2. Robinson not saying the roosters weren't deserving of the penalties he wants to know's why the ref was coaching the Manly team on the field during the game and not taking action that is his job if he want's a coaching gig go and try for one by the way his not the only ref doing it we hear it in every game every week and it get"s very ****** annoying Ref"s should do their job"s and let the footballer's play no warning a penalty when needed and they will soon learn or the coach will.

Commenter

Michael

Date and time

March 30, 2014, 10:41AM

So by your reckoning Manly should have had everyone of those calls and roosters none. Typical Manly fan, which is why no one can stand them

Commenter

Peter

Date and time

March 30, 2014, 12:22PM

Well said Niall. Where was Gus and others dissecting the reffing in the GF last year? The Roosters clearly got the better deal despite being the most penalised team and it clearly cost Manly. Conveniently this was not even looked at by the NRL after the GF. Daniel Anderson took off overseas and there was no report on the refereeing post match and Manly had to chase up the NRL for this. Greenburg then met with Toovey and the club recently to dissect the report - some 6 months after the match. Ridiculous!

Commenter

What about the GF?

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

March 30, 2014, 12:45PM

Has there even been a more ridiculous call than that penalty try in the GF?

Commenter

tri

Location

newcastle

Date and time

March 31, 2014, 9:35AM

"Watmough milked it nicely. It’s all part of the game."

You summed it up Gus. Roosters play in the spirit of the game while Manly play for penalities. The refs are suckers for a poor hard done by Manly boy having a whinge. Where is the investigation Toovey? This game is getting more like soccer every week!

Commenter

C U in September

Location

Upper Bondi Heights

Date and time

March 30, 2014, 9:22AM

Fair Dinkum mate - you'r on another planet!Spirit of the game? Does that include booing a player going to the dressing room in a concussed state after being hit with a shoulder charge by one of your players? The player on question being the one who uses his head in EVERY tackle he makes?Go take a dip at Bondi for the next 22 weeks!

Commenter

Phil J.

Location

Seaforth

Date and time

March 30, 2014, 11:44AM

yeah where was it for Manly? What a sooky comment and full of it too. Oh "Roosters play in the spirit of the game" really? Only a roosters supporter could say that. What are you guys special. What garbage.

Commenter

Mitch

Location

Muswellbrook

Date and time

March 30, 2014, 11:53AM

Man, you need to grow up and stop reading the comics. The roosters are the bad guys, not the superheroes. I really hate Manly, but not near so much as I hate Roosters. Professionals at infringing and slowing the game down. Got away with blue murder in last years GF. The refs dud my Para boys often, but I've never seen a side duded in a GF like the Silvertails were last year. If I was a roosters supporter, I would have preferred to lose than die of the embarrassment that must have overcome you all last year when you were gifted victory by the most incompetent referring performances since the days of 1978.